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In Cold Blood Essay Questions

Decent Essays

Truman Capote hardly made “In Cold Blood” a mystery. Glancing at the front cover, the title gives the murder away. A few pages into the book, the perpetrators of the murder are revealed (as Capote leaves little out in the first chapter of the book). However, he creates intrigue and curiosity in the reader by withholding one crucial aspect of the tragedy, the motive. Although it is first presented as a murder without purpose, the reader is still left poring over the book to figure out why someone would commit such a heinous crime. By the end, Capote offers many reasons for the murder, but holds back on expressing his own beliefs. After finishing the book, I am still left with the question: why did they do it?

Upon first thought, it seems that …show more content…

This is where the characteristics of the Clutter family comes in. The Clutter family, on the surface, represented the ideal American family. Despite their familial issues, they seemed to have it all: a giant house, a loving family, and a prosperous life. Neither Dick nor Perry had the wealth or stable life that the Clutters had, and both craved to live so handsomely. This was true particularly for Perry. His abusive childhood and erratic relationship with his family made him an impressionable target. He was angry and wanted someone to pay for the misfortunes he’d faced. The Clutters represented everything Perry lacked, and in the end, the jealousy and need for revenge was enough for him to pull the trigger. Dick, on the other hand, did not face a horrible childhood nor did he have a bad relationship with his family. Dick’s main motive seemed to be his want for money, but that fails to explain the necessity of the Clutters' slaughter. His motives are so undefined and his character is so unexplored that it is hard to draw any conclusions in regards to his reasons for murdering the Clutters. Overall, the motive of the two murderers is really up to the reader to decide based on what they see as

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